JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (April 25, 2013) – With just three conference series remaining, the ETSU baseball team looks to improve on its mark in the Atlantic Sun standings as the Bucs host Kennesaw State this weekend at Thomas Stadium.

ETSU – who had its seven-game A-Sun winning streak snapped last weekend at Stetson – enter the series with Kennesaw State in third-place at 22-16, 11-7, while league-leader North Florida holds an 11-4 mark and Mercer is in second at 12-6 in league play.

GAME TIMES

Friday – 7:05 p.m. – Game No. 39

Saturday – 2:05 p.m. – Game No. 40

Sunday – 1:05 p.m. – Game No. 41

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BUCS

- ETSU took on Appalachian State Wednesday night at Thomas Stadium, but after sitting through two rain delays, the game was suspended with the Mountaineers leading, 3-1, in the bottom of the seventh. The game will be picked up next Tuesday when the Bucs head to Boone, N.C., for their originally scheduled return trip at Appalachian State.

- Appalachian State scored two runs in the second, while the Blue and Gold pushed across one run in the bottom of the inning when Kevin Phillips (St. Louis, Mo.) doubled home Andrew Green (Powell, Tenn.) – who led off the frame with a triple. The Mountaineers scored their final run on an RBI groundout, and both bullpens held the hitters in check until the second rain delay suspended play in the bottom of the seventh.

- Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Bucs suffered their third straight loss when ETSU was dealt a 14-10 setback at Radford on Tuesday night. Junior Dylan Tritsch (Boca Raton, Fla.) generated his team-leading 15th multi-hit game of the season after going 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBI and freshman Jeremy Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.) went 3-for-5 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI. Meanwhile, senior Derek Niesman (Wellington, Fla.) tossed two innings of shutout ball in his first collegiate pitching appearance. The right-hander struck out three of the six hitters he faced in relief.

ABOUT KENNESAW STATE

- Kennesaw State has lost three straight and nine of its last 12, and the Owls enter the weekend at 21-22, 9-9 in A-Sun play.

- The Owls boast the second-lowest ERA in the conference as Kennesaw State’s pitchers have totaled a 3.50 ERA (148 ER/381.0 IP) in 43 games this season. In addition, the Kennesaw State pitchers are holding its foes to a league-leading .244 (398-1446) batting average, while ranking second in strikeouts (334).

- Junior right-hander Stephen Janas is the ace of the staff as he is 6-0 with an NCAA-leading 0.70 ERA (4 ER/51.1 IP) in nine starts this season. Janas has tossed one shutout and combined for another, while limiting the opposition to 43 hits, resulting in a .225 batting average against. Fellow junior, James Connell, has totaled five of Kennesaw State’s six saves and has allowed six earned runs in 17.1 innings pitched.

- Kennesaw State likes to use small-ball to manufacture its runs, as the Owls rank 33rd nationally with 44 sacrifice hits and have stolen 44 bases. At the plate, the Owls are hitting .275 with 60 doubles, six triples, nine home runs, and 201 runs scored. Junior outfielder Bo Way leads the club with a .310 batting average (53-171) and has seven doubles, three triples, one home run, 21 RBI, and a team-leading 29 runs scored, while sophomore catcher Max Pentecost carries a five-game hitting streak into this weekend’s series.

SERIES VS. KENNESAW STATE

- Kennesaw State leads the all-time series, 12-9, but the Blue and Gold are 5-4 against the Owls in Johnson City.

- Of the 21 games in the series, ten have been decided by one run, including five of the last nine contests. Ironically, both teams have split those 10 one-run games.

- Last year, Clinton Freeman (Jonesborough, Tenn.) went 6-for-12 with a home run and four RBI in the series at Kennesaw State, while Andrew Green was 4-for-10 with a double, three runs scored, two RBI, and went 4-for-5 in stolen base opportunities.

COVERAGE

- Live stats will be available for all three games this weekend via StatBroadcast by visiting ETSUBucs.com. Fans can access live stats on their computers, mobile devices or tablets.

- Live video streaming will be provided for free on ASun.TV.

- All three games will also be broadcast live on ETSUBucs.com.

- Live updates will also be posted on Twitter by following @ETSUAthletics and @ETSU_Baseball.

TICKET INFO

- Single game tickets to ETSU baseball games are $10 for reserved seats behind home plate and $5 for reserved seats along the baselines. Tickets can be purchased at the stadium, online at ETSUBucs.com, or by calling (423) 439-3878.

TAILGATING

- Come out to Thomas Stadium early and tailgate prior to ETSU baseball games this season. A designated tailgating area will be roped off in the parking lot where fans can enjoy a festive environment before the Bucs take the field.